Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks hasn’t caught a pass in more than a month, yet his value has continued to skyrocket.

Cooks’ contract, currently a bargain at $8.459 million next season, can no longer be compared to the pacts that were previously signed by Pats mates Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan. Rather, the evolving league-wide state of the receiver market has surged to the point where Cooks’ next payday could nearly double his yearly intake.

The Patriots understood this possibility last year when they flipped a first-round pick for Cooks. It’d be a two-year marriage, and an extension would be complicated beyond that because of the nature of Cooks’ position. But factoring in recent deals for other receivers, many of whom are far less accomplished, Cooks’ market has improved by the day.

Prior to this offseason, it looked like Cooks could hope to land about $14 million annually upon his voyage into free agency next March. The most comparable deal, based on age and skill set, was T.Y. Hilton’s five-year, $65 million extension with the Colts from 2015. Inflation would’ve been in Cooks’ corner.

Cooks told the Herald last season that his priority was to finish his career with the Patriots. Of course, that’s a common sentiment from players and teams alike until they sometimes find their financial values are misaligned.

It’s unclear if the Patriots have made a push to extend Cooks’ contract, as a source close to the matter declined to comment yesterday. Typically, as players approach the final season of their deals, the Patriots present their offers during the late summer.

Cooks is a unique case, though. The Patriots might want to gauge his price tag as soon as possible, if only because the 24-year-old would be a valuable trade chip before next month’s draft. That’s not to say the Patriots should trade Cooks, but they should collect all available information as they build their roster for 2018 and beyond.

This point can’t be stressed enough: The Patriots love Cooks. They raved about his practice tenacity, his overall work ethic, his chemistry with Tom Brady and his ability to open up more space for his teammates. They would be perfectly happy to keep Cooks in town for 2018, even if that means they don’t extend his contract and lose him in free agency for a compensatory pick in the 2020 draft.

And with Brady turning 41 in August, it makes sense to keep as many veterans as possible, especially as they’re poised to lose slot machine Danny Amendola to the Dolphins. It’d also be incredible to finally witness the potential of the Patriots offense with receivers Cooks, Edelman and Hogan and tight end Rob Gronkowski, assuming he doesn’t retire.

But with Cooks, trust that he has paid attention to these recent transactions with a glimmer in his eye. The Browns acquired slot receiver Jarvis Landry last week from the Dolphins, so they assumed his $16 million franchise tag, which will surely roll into a long-term extension.

Yesterday, reports indicated Allen Robinson corralled $42 million for three years with the Bears, and he is coming off a torn ACL, while the Chiefs gave Sammy Watkins a three-year, $48 million deal to essentially be their third option behind tight end Travis Kelce and wideout Tyreek Hill. Watkins has never caught more than 60 passes in a season.

Paul Richardson (five years, $40 million with the Redskins) and Albert Wilson (three years, $24 million with the Dolphins) even got $8 million annually, which hammered home Cooks’ value on that fifth-year option clause. It’s now time to ignore Cooks’ salary in comparison to the most recent deals for Edelman (two years, $11 million) and Hogan (three years, $12 million). Age and opportunity dictate price tags as much as production.

Cooks’ patience will now be tested. If he hits the open market next March, he’ll probably haul in $15 million to $16 million annually. In comparison to other receiver contracts, he’ll probably get at least 40 percent of that deal in guaranteed money. That’s a baseline of four years and $60 million, including $24 million guaranteed, and a potential ceiling of five years and $80 million, including $32 million guaranteed.

If Cooks grants the Patriots a discount, would it now be for $13 million annually? And if so, would the Patriots blow up their business model at the position to make it happen?

Again, there’d be plenty of value in keeping Cooks for another year and losing him to free agency. And with the way the receiver market is booming, it might even be a win-win scenario, given the complexity of this situation.